Author: Leslie Stewart

For Democrats, the road to Maine’s Senate primary is paved with fear. Subscribe to read this story without ads Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Since Gov. Janet Mills abruptly halted her campaign in late April, all Graham Platner had to do was slip into Tuesday’s election to lock up the state’s Democratic Senate nomination. But some lawmakers and activists say they are increasingly alarmed by the breadth and depth of controversies and scandals facing veterans, and divisions within the party widen by the day. Some Democrats were nervous about what the next debate would be, worried that…

Job seekers visit the Generali Global Assistance recruiting booth during the Mega Job News USA South Florida Job Fair at Amerant Bank Arena on April 30, 2026 in Sunrise, Florida.Joe Radle | Getty ImagesThe better-than-expected start to job creation this year could get a reality check Friday when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its May nonfarm payrolls report.Economists surveyed by Dow Jones expect the jobs report to show just 80,000 new jobs for the month, down from an average of 150,000 over the past two months, including 115,000 in April. Additionally, some prominent voices on Wall Street believe the…

In recent weeks, Parker Taylor has reached a difficult milestone in his professional career.The 29-year-old has been employed consistently since he was a teenager, first on a factory floor and more recently in pharmaceutical sales. But the St. Petersburg, Florida, resident hasn’t been able to start a new job since losing his job just before Thanksgiving in 2025.Taylor is one of the more than 1.8 million Americans who are classified as long-term unemployed (defined by the government as unemployed for at least 27 weeks) in any given month this year. That number is up about 45% from 2019 and 55%…

Japanese police trudged through waist-high mud to search for a missing Auburn University student on Thursday, but his parents said they remained optimistic about their son’s chances of being rescued.Subscribe to read this story without ads Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.In a statement late Thursday, his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said Thursday’s “incredibly thorough” search by rescue workers for James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, was conducted under “difficult conditions.””It’s been a long and stressful day,” she posted. “Today, dozens of Japanese police officers searched through waist-high mud to find Weston. Search dogs and helicopters were also deployed.” James…

President Donald Trump will nominate Acting Attorney General Todd Branch as the top permanent prosecutor on Thursday, he said at a private event at the White House on Wednesday night. Subscribe to read this story without ads Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.White House Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted a video Wednesday night of Trump announcing Blanche’s nomination during a speech in the Rose Garden. “He’s the acting attorney general,” Trump said in the video, referring to Branch. “Tomorrow, I’m going to instruct Dunn and everyone else involved in that very complicated process to make him…

A man who held several people hostage at a California bank building has died, and after a standoff that lasted about 15 hours, police announced Wednesday that all the hostages were freed.Subscribe to read this story without ads Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The suspect barricaded himself inside a building at Chester Street and 17th Avenue around 1 p.m. local time Tuesday, sparking a massive law enforcement response that involved crisis negotiators and the FBI. Bakersfield Police said in a statement that a man was pronounced dead at the scene after an officer-involved shooting with FBI agents.…

ADP reported on Wednesday that private employment expanded at a rapid pace in May, providing further evidence of labor market stability.The payroll firm said companies added 122,000 employees in the month, up from 105,000 in April and above the Dow Jones consensus estimate of 110,000. May was the strongest month since January 2025. April’s total was revised downward by 4,000 cases.Unlike last month, when job growth was concentrated in health care and a few other sectors, the increase was more widespread. Eight of the 10 sectors in the ADP track saw increases, with employment spread evenly across both company size…

People watch as the Doris Ocean container ship leaves the Port of Los Angeles on May 28, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. Tama Mario | Getty ImagesThe Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has proposed imposing additional tariffs of up to 12.5% ​​on imports from 60 countries for failing to ban products made with forced labor, a drastic measure that would hurt most trading partners, including China, the European Union and Japan. The decision, made under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, found that all 60 countries have failed to impose or effectively enforce forced labor-related import bans,…

On Tuesday night, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra conceded to businessman Zach Rahn in the Republican primary for governor in Iowa after voters in his party rejected President Donald Trump’s late endorsement in the race.Subscribe to read this story without ads Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.NBC News is not predicting the outcome of the primary. But Feenstra campaign spokesman Billy Furst confirmed the concession had been made to Rahn.So far, none of Mr. Trump’s endorsed candidates for governor, House of Representatives, or Senate has lost a primary in the midterm elections.In 2024, Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, walks…

A ship remains anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on May 16, 2026. Negotiations between the United States and Iran over the opening of the vital waterway have largely stalled as the two sides mutually reject proposals to end the war that began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28.Majid Saidi | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesU.S. Central Command said Tuesday it had launched defensive strikes in response to an “attempted attack” by Iran that destroyed multiple ballistic missiles and drones, the latest in a series of attacks that further threaten…